Yael Bar Maor

Landscape architecture studio

Independent studio for design and research of open spaces
The studio is committed to encourage the use of open areas & public spaces, plan according to the context of each specific site and promote the activities of different people side by side, for a vital & diverse environment.

Landscape design as part of a renewal of a primary school courtyard in Tel-Aviv. The new open spaces include an open classroom, playgrounds and a new sport-field. The design focused on stimulating and encouraging informal play and social interaction through the use of colors, different floor levels and a verity of sitting areas. The courtyard is open after school hours for the benefit of the community.

Ha'Hita schoolyard, Zichron Yaacov

The main challenge of the project was designing a useful space on a sloped terrain. Given the small area of the yard, and the need for a variety of uses for the benefit of the children – the slope was designed as a functional space for learning and playing.

Student village – Sderot

The open space of "The Student Village" was designed as a temporary landscape due to the beginning of the Shabath year (Shmita) a year in which according to the Tora, planting in the ground is forbidden. Instead, we chose planting in brightly colored barrels and artificial grass. The Campus is open to the public and the pathways serve passersby. The site development was done with the participation of volunteers.

A Master plan for the renewing Kibbutz Revadim. The Landscape design was integrated from the beginning of the design process in order to preserve the special values of the old kibbutz, and to implement them on future expansion neighborhoods.

Renewed of the maine lawn, Kibbutz Hukok

Renewal of the main lawn of the kibbutz according to the changing needs of the community. The new design introduced new path, and a platform for events, along with the rehabilitation of the vegetation of the site.

Shkhoret Quarry landscape rehabilitation

An ecological and landscape rehabilitation project of a deserted quarry

A rehabilitation project of a deserted quarry in the southern part of the Arava valley covers an area of over 50 Acres. The area is characterized by a harsh climate. Acacia trees serve as evidence to the site's original topography. In the proposed plan, the trees serve as anchors for a new topography, using ancient methods of 'drainage farms' to slow down the rain water flow on the surface and replanish the aquifer.

School courtyard in a Kibbutz

A design which integrates new activity areas into an old school courtyard with a series of interventions. The theme of the design is childhood stories.
The design process was done with the cooperation of the school management, and professional guidance from the Ministry of Education.

Roaming Forest

The concept for the Roaming Forest interprets the lifecycle of a tree to explore new ways of creating public space. It proposes a dynamic process between the planned structures of the municipality and the self-organizing nature of individuals and the community. The project seeks to utilize the first stages of the trees' life. The young trees are transplanted into moveable containers which provide new forms in the public space, creating the Roaming Forest.

Stella Maris – The Hidden Ridge

Competition proposal

Client: The city of Haifa and Israel Association of United Architects.
Design team: Ed Wall & Yael Bar-Maor.
Date: June 2010

Stella Maris, Haifa, is a dramatic natural landmark on the main ridge of Mt. Carmel. In the urban context, it is disconnected from other urban nodes on the ridge. The plan proposes to connect the sites along the ridge by a continuous pedestrian route, connected to the urban fabric by a network of paths, stairways and viewpoints.

School courtyard

Design of a primary school courtyard, in the community village of Yad Binyamin, Israel. The design serves as a platform for activities that strengthen the bonds between the individual and the team, and encourages communal activity in the courtyard. This was done by planning places for gathering for groups of various sizes, and play areas based on games that require teamwork and balance. The layout is based on the location of old trees that exist on the site.

A public square

Competition proposal

Client: The city of Jerusalem and Israel Association of United Architects.
Design team: Rami Bar-Maor & Yael Bar-Maor.
Date: December 2008

The proposed public square is designed as a multifunctional area, open to all, in contrast to the fenced functions, that dominate the surrounding hills.
The square sits in a topographic saddle, between two hills: on the south – the museums area, on the north – The Knesset (the Israeli Parliament). The total area of the square is 7 acres, thus it can host a large crowd for a wide variety of activities, exhibitions or shows.

More projects designed by Yael Bar-Maor Landscape Architecture Studio:

Landscape consulting for a master plan of the parking area for the "fast lane to Tel-Aviv" / Landscape design for a the expansion of Ayalon highway, KKL-Glilot section / Landscape design for the main public area of kibbutz Hukok / Landscape design for the open spaces around the renewed public theater, moshav Aseret / Design of an educational schoolyard, Kvuzat Yavne / Design of a courtyard of a public youth club, Petah Tikva / Landscape design for a public health center, Petah Tikva / Landscape design "Rothschild 65" office building project, Tel Aviv / Landscape design for residential projects in Rishon Le Zion & Hod Ha Sharon / Landscape design "Masaryk 15" residential & commercial project, Tel Aviv / Landscape consulting for a master plan of a mixed use complex, Bat-Yam.
More details Can be found in the list of projects ›

About

Yael Bar-Maor, Landscape Architecture Studio gives design & consulting services for public & private projects. Among the projects that the studio is involved in are the planning of public open spaces, site development consulting for residential & commercial buildings & landscape consulting for master plans. Among the studio's clients are municipalities, governmental bodies & private companies. The studio also cooperates with research institutes & environmental organizations in matters of landscape research & proactive planning. The studio is involved in writing surveys & position papers aiming at promoting policies of open space planning from a social & environmental perspective.

Yael Bar-Maor, landscape architect - founder and manager; graduate with honors of the landscape architecture program, Faculty of Architecture, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology (of the year 2002); licensed landscape architect by the Israeli Department for Registration of Engineers and Architects.

Amir Sherman, agronomist and landscape designer; graduate of the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University and of the landscape architecture department at Ruppin Technological College.

The Roaming Forest: setting the public space free

An article that reviews the ideas behind the "Roaming Forest" project, designed by Ed Wall, Yael Bar-Maor & Mike Dring, and realized in "Timing 2010: The Biennale of Landscape Urbanism" in Bat-Yam, Israel. The article was published in the Landscape Journal of the Landscape Institute, UK, during the winter of 2011.
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The Israeli - Palestinian Conflict, the Botanical Version

An article for a conference under the title: Landscape & Ruins

An article that explores the relationship between the territorial conflict & the botanical aspect, by studying three different plants: the pine tree, the olive tree & the sabra (prickly pear), their role in the landscape & their representations in art & poetry. The article was published and presented in a conference organized by ECLAS, European Council of Landscape Architecture Schools & University of Genova, Italy 2009.
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Work Plan

A text in tribute to the House of the United Kibbutz, just before it was demolished (Hebrew)

The text was written at a time when I worked in an office that was located in a building originally designed for the offices of the United Kibbutz movement, in Tel-Aviv. The building captured my heart with its rational design, typical of the 1950s. I met with architect Ziva Armoni who designed the building (with Hanan Havron), and heard from her about the design process. Shortly after, the building was demolished to clear the site for a residential tower. This text was a tribute to the building. It was published in "Block" magazine, Tel Aviv, winter of 2008.
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Planned Weather

An article about an installation built for the Athens Olympic Games (Hebrew)

The article describes an installation that was built during the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, designed by a team of architects led by Yehoshua Gutman. The interactive installation created a cool microclimate, in the hot weather of the Athenian summer. The article was published in the "Landscape Architecture" journal (Hebrew) of the Israeli Union of Landscape Architects. December 2004.
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Infrastructure to Heaven

An article about turning a garbage dump into a park (Hebrew)

The article reviews the plans to turn the site of Fresh Kills in New-York, from the world's largest wasteyard, to a metropolitan park designed by urban design office, Field Operations. The article was published in the "Landscape Architecture" journal (Hebrew), of the Israeli Union of Landscape Architects. June 2004.
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"Build Your Own Home" in Dutch

An article about the Borneo & Sporenburg developments (Hebrew)

The article reviews the design of two neighborhoods on the former east harbor of Amsterdam. The article focuses on the master plan of these developments, designed by West 8, and the framework that allowed the building of private residences in relatively high density. The article was written after participating in a tour to the Netherlands as part of a course in urban design from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The article was published in the "Landscape Architecture" journal (Hebrew), of the Israeli Union of Landscape Architects. December 2003.
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Cooperation

Work partners

The studio's work is based on the belief that the design of open areas must be done in an interdisciplinary manner, and with the participation of public & private entities. The studio gives design services to a variety of clients and is integrated into design teams consisting of architects & engineers of different fields. Yael Bar-Maor is also involved in the research & teaching of landscape architecture in academic institutions.

Yael Bar-Maor Landscape Architecture Studio has worked in association with: